National Competence Monitoring (NKM) – Pilot phase

Background and aims

The Innovation Dialogue between the Federal Government, industry and science recommended the establishment of a “National Competence Monitoring” (NKM) system for Germany, in order to identify technologies and competences that are particularly relevant to the future competitiveness of the German economy. Having carried out a feasibility study, acatech has taken up this challenge by initiating a pilot phase for the project in conjunction with the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and the Hans Böckler Foundation. The initiative is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

In the long term, the NKM will provide answers to how government, science and industry can work together in order to help achieve the breakthrough for promising new value-added technology fields. The pilot phase is focusing on three key initial questions:

• Which key themes/technologies should be prioritised by the NKM?
• Which competences do we need in Germany to become global leaders in the relevant fields?
• Where does Germany currently stand compared to other countries around the world?

The next step involves developing a methodology for the concrete measurement of competence requirements using a robust, repeatable process, so that they can be tracked via a continuous monitoring system. An appropriate methodology is being developed as part of the pilot phase.